How do you get it through nurses heads that we MUST be patient advocates?

[pghfoxfan]

Sigh.......any suggestions?

[hypnotic_nurse]

They seem to either get it or they don't. Best I can tell you is to lead by example.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Are you in management where you have to motivate your staff?

If not, I agree with the above. Take care of your patients and lead by example.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Build patient advocacy into the nursing curriculum.

[URO-RN]

I was fortunate that in my nursing program this was expected of us. They drilled it in our heads that we should not believe that because we were students, we could not advocate for our patients.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

I'm not sure what you mean.

Nursing is patient advocacy. I've never thought it was anything else.

Who are you speaking of?

steph

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Build patient advocacy into the nursing curriculum.

Like Jo Ann, I heard about patient advocacy from Day 1 in my ADN program. :)

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Build a supportive environment where the nurse knows it is safe to be the patient advocate they know they should be. They won't do it for long if management and peers do not support them when they tick off the MD, or whoever, in the process of advocating for the patient.

[MtnMan]

pghfoxfan must work with a Negative Nancy or two. We have one in our ED who talks down to the young mom's that come in with "silly" complaints re: their pride and joy. She then will share the "ridiculous" story and talk down the parents quite loudly at hte nurses' station. This gets me fired up. it would take one third the energy to council and reassure the parents and OMG maybe teach them something. It can be really trying to those of us who are in the field that actually care, as opposed to those who are there for money. foxfan I have tried every thing you can imagine to avoid this garbage but you can't, luckily in a small ED that is pretty well open we all get a chance to interact with most patients i try to make at least one positive comment to the patients that I feel are getting the shaft by their "nightengale".

ps also a foxfan

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Well, I don't know where some folks went to school, but the program I graduated from drilled it into our heads literally from the first day of classes that we were to be the patient's advocate in everything. It didn't necessarily mean giving them every little thing they wanted, like bringing them a beer when they were in the hospital for detox......but it DID mean fighting for the patient's best interests, even at the expense of the doctor's good will or going against the family's wishes.

As a preceptor, I tell nursing students that our job is NOT to make the doctor happy, to kiss up to the family, or to make sure nobody is offended; our job is to see to the patient's needs and desires, and to be willing to go against the grain if that's what's in his/her best interests. I've had many a disagreement with physicians over pain relief, and I'm sure I've upset relatives and friends when I've asked them to leave a patient who clearly needed to rest. I am nothing if not diplomatic; however, some folks' egos are quite fragile, and to tell them something they don't want to hear is to open oneself to the possibility of complaints, write-ups, and other negative consequences. It doesn't matter. We are there to protect the PATIENT, first, last, and always.

'Nuff said. :stone

[warrior woman]

Couldn't have saod it better myself Marla. WTG!!

[pghfoxfan]

I am not in management. I am a nurse of over 22 years. I just see newer nurses almost afraid of "standing up" to doctors for example. I do not mean being disrespectful. I mean speaking up when they know they are right. Do people see us as being a "*****" ? I try to be assertive rather than aggresive.

I 100% agree about teaching through example!